The Chronicles of Ferron and Terre
by NeptuneMereaux
Summary: A collection of stories featuring my two characters, Ferron the Empoleon and Terre the Torterra, in their various adventures. The first two chapters are chronological. The rest? Well, they're not written yet! But, if they ever are, I'll make sure to let you guys know when they take place. Please enjoy!
1. The Day it Came Crashing Down

_This is a tale about a man named Ferron. Today, Ferron is a blacksmith. He spends his time creating armor and weapons for all that require them. However, he is a bit – no, rather, a huge – recluse. He keeps his distance, that is for sure, and rarely if ever forms friendships with his fellow Pokémon. Many have wondered why this is the case._

_To answer that question, you have to delve into his past. See, Ferron was not always a blacksmith – in his youth, he was a military general. At first glance, that does not seem horrible enough to warrant his current, cold demeanor. No, that requires more digging. In his small cabin, hidden deep within the peaks of Mount Coronet, there is a small study. Not much is in the room, just a small writing desk, a few bookshelves… But, on one of these bookshelves lies the answer. At the very top of one shelf is a series of ten, dusty bound journals, each one dated with a year… Diaries. The last one on this shelf is nearly twenty-five years old – it seems that after that year, Ferron quit writing about his daily life._

_Perusing through the diaries, they start when he was around the age of ten or so. The earlier volumes detail his adventures with an Adventurer's Guild long forgotten. That part, however, is unimportant. The important part lies with a name contained in these journals – Terre._

_As detailed by these journals, Terre seems to have been Ferron's childhood friend – he was a Torterra once fully evolved – and they joined the guild together and went on many adventures. The earlier diaries spend much of their time discussing their adventures across the world. The ones toward the middle, however, take a turn. Ferron does not really write much about adventuring itself anymore. Rather, the diaries are a chronicle of his strong bond with Terre… This friendship had, over time, turned into romance. The diaries detail Ferron's realization of his true feelings, followed by a lot of rambling love poems and musings about the future. Eventually, Ferron writes about his confession, Terre's happy acceptance, their coming out to their families and the relief at their understanding. Ferron writes about how he and Terre sat on the cliffside overlooking Serene Village and shared their first kiss together… This entry is extremely short, just three words – "Kissed today – magical."_

_In the later entries, however, things take a darker turn. War had broken out. Ferron was drafted into the military and Terre – not wanting to let him go alone – decided to enlist together with him. These diaries discuss the horrors of war – the bloodshed, the fear, the hunger… But through it all, Ferron had Terre with him. Ferron often writes about this, saying that being together makes the two of them so much stronger._

_In a diary from twenty years prior, Ferron writes that both of his parents had succumbed to illness. Thanks to the rations during the war, along with deteriorating financial conditions worldwide, the two of them perished. It appears like Ferron was anguished by this, amplified by the fact that he was forbidden by his commander from returning home for their funeral. But, at least he had Terre._

_In a diary from eighteen years ago, Ferron writes about his promotion to general. He writes that he was elated, proud, and glad that he might get more time off to be with Terre – who, of course, is who made this all possible. Without Terre, Ferron believes that he never would have been able to achieve this, as there would have been no one to bring out the best in him. Tucked in this page is a small note of congratulations from Terre – it appears to have been well-read and treasured, carefully kept inside of this diary._

_From all that, it is still unclear why Ferron is so unwelcoming to his fellow Pokemon. The answer is not revealed until the last entry of the last diary. It is written in messier handwriting than other entries in his journals as if it was scrawled down in a frenzy. The further down the page, the more illegible it gets, the final few lines barely readable at all. Tucked in this page is a small black and white photograph of Ferron and Terre together – smiling from cheek to cheek. Anyone that knew Ferron knew that he __**never **__smiled… This may have been the last time that a smile had graced his cheeks. _

_Now, as for the entry… This is what it said._

**Title: Done Date: ?**

They want me to stay here until I'm "mentally stable" to go back home. Do these idiots not understand? This is impossible. I am broken. I am defeated. I just want this to be over. Please. I cannot go on. Not after what happened. I guess I'm supposed to write it down – to feel better. As if. I'll never be better. But I can try.

It all happened a week ago. It was the day before Terre and I were finally set to return back home. Together. It was perfect. Everything was perfect. I could finally retire from this hellhole and spend my days back home with the one I loved oh so much. I remember that morning, I asked him to marry me. The shock on his face… The joy… The tears rolling down his smooth cheeks from his beautiful eyes as he jumped at me to hug me, screaming yes over and over… I had never been a happier man in my entire life.

We had just one mission that day, and it was supposed to be simple enough. My troops and I just had to go and get food from a warehouse down by Tyranitar Canyon. Terre and I had been there so many times, just spending our time together looking at the stars, and just dreaming about our future together… Our family… Our plans… For when all of this was finally over. 

I sit in the back of a truck with Terre… I remember his hand was resting in my own as he lay beside me, his head in my lap… He looked up at me with such a happy smile on his face, as cute as ever. He was always so cheerful… So happy… And it always rubbed off on me. He was my joy. After my parents died, he was everything I had left.

We arrived at the warehouse, simple enough. We started stocking up the trucks to bring back food, simple enough.

Or so I thought.  
I remember hearing troops charging at us. A lot of them. We'd been ambushed. Everything was a mess at that point. Crates of food were dropped as our troops scrambled for their weapons and started to defend the area. Terre was by my side – I remember the worry in his face. We weren't prepared for this, he kept saying. I remember him clinging to me, starting to cry… And I remember the accursed words I told him – that everything was going to be okay. He nodded and got his act together, as he and I drew our weapons and began our assault on the enemy.

There were just so… Many of them. They kept pushing us back, no matter how hard we fought. They pushed us right back to the edge of the canyon and then they just… Retreated. I remember standing there awestruck. Why did they turn to go? They were winning.

Then I heard them. The Explosions. The enemy had brought their own squadron of Electrodes to kamikaze us. Rocks from the crags above us started crashing down. I saw men get crushed, men get tossed right over the side of the canyon. I remember one was coming right for Terre and I pushed him out of the way. That rock landed on my right leg. I'll probably never walk right again. Not that it mattered. I looked to Terre and found him standing in shock by the canyon's edge, as he started running towards me.

And then, there was a loud BOOM.

The canyon below Terre fell away. I remember watching him scramble forward, trying to get back to safety as the land fell away beneath his feet. I remember the terror in his eyes. The tears. I remember reaching over the edge of the cliff to try and grab him as he fell… I remember feeling his fingertips brush up against mine, just out of my reach.

I remember his cracked voice screaming my name, as I shouted his back at him, watching in terror as he fell away from me. I remember the haunting echoes of our screams as I watched him go. I remember crying. Shaking. Everything started to get blurry, but I could still see him falling… I could hear each dull thud, each cry of pain as he hit the side of the canyon. I remember when only the thuds remained, the pained shrieks slowly coming to a halt. I remember looking down into the cavern, at the rocks dashed scarlet with my everything's own blood. I remember his limp body lying at the bottom of the canyon. Still. Unmoving. A pool of red slowly spreading out from his body, which was contorted in just a way that it was inhuman.

He was dead. I'd never see him smile again. Never hear him laugh. Never hold his hand. I would never be able to start a family with him by my side. I would never be able to grow old with him. It was over. Everything.

**GONE.**

I wanted to jump. There was nothing left for me here. I let myself tumble over the edge. Please make it stop, I begged the world. Please. I didn't want to live anymore.

But that damned soldier. He caught my hand and hoisted me back up. Didn't he understand? I didn't want to come back. But he wouldn't listen. No one would listen to me. Of course not. I remember shaking and rocking on our way back to camp. I remember crying, muttering Terre's name over and over. This couldn't be happening. Why him? Why me? This was a nightmare I just couldn't wake up from. It had to be. Please. I had to wake up and have Terre by my side, holding my hand and stroking my cheek to help me recover from this atrocious nightmare.

That moment never came. This was reality.

I heard that by the time people could scale the cliffs to get to Terre's remains, there was nearly nothing left – the Mandibuzz had gotten to him, they said. Whatever was left, they sent back to his family in a casket. I never got to see it. I hope that the ring I made for him was still with him – I guess I'll never make jewelry again. What is the point? Terre was the only one who liked what I could make. I want the gods of whatever hell this is to see it. I want them to know what they did to me. I want them to see just how much I loved Terre. How much they took away from me. And for what? Some stupid war that won't matter in a few years? It doesn't matter. The cycle will always repeat.

Ever since then, they've locked me up in this makeshift institution. To get me back to being mentally "well" enough to go home. I just have to convince them I'm okay. Then I can go home and end it. I want to be with Terre in the afterlife. That's all I want. Please.

This wasn't supposed to happen.  
And it's my fault.  
I let my guard down.  
I thought it would be simple.  
I got distracted.  
What happened… It's because of me… All of it.  
I want to die.  
I just want to be with Terre again.  
I will never love again.  
I will never have another friend again.  
Let me go.  
Please…

_The diary then ends. At the bottom of the page are a few stains – tears. Some are old, some are newer… But all of them stain the page, a haunting reminder of the horrors that Ferron went through. As for why he never ended it? That remains uncertain. Perhaps he didn't want to let those evil gods win. Maybe he wanted to keep living in Terre's memory._

_Upon closer inspection, beside the last diary is a small, dusty, golden band, set with a stone that shimmered from blue to green as it reflected the light._

_And this is why… Ferron never made a friend again._


	2. The Wish

Today is Ferron's 43rd birthday. To celebrate, he went out to an opera earlier in the day – alone of course. He made sure to attend one in a faraway village, so no one there would recognize him. He couldn't let anyone see him being soft. He was the tough blacksmith, not an effeminate man who went out to operas.

He only trusted a few people with his secrets – his parents and his fiancé, Terre. But, they were all long gone from his life, having died around twenty-some-odd years ago. That is why Ferron was so cold now. Giving out secrets was just a weakness. It could only lead to more pain, he believed. It was all it ever gave him.

When he returned home, he went right into his study – see, Ferron did the exact same thing every year on his birthday, and this one was no exception. He went to one of his bookshelves and grabbed the last book on the shelf – this was the final diary he'd ever bothered writing. Beside it was a small dusty ring. He picked it up, blowing the dust off of it, and slipped it onto his finger – still fits. He then sat, opening the diary to the last entry. There was a picture of him and Terre, together smiling. He let out a long sigh, staring at it blankly for a moment… He ran his hand tenderly across the old photograph, reminiscing over it. He then set it aside, careful not to wrinkle it. He then began to read. As time went on, his stomach turned to knots, and he started shaking a bit. His heart started racing, too. He soon started crying. Even now, all these years later, the story of how Terre died shook him to his core. Some tears fell onto the pages, staining them forever, before he finished up reading. He tucked the photograph back into the book, placing it back on the shelf.

Ferron, keeping with his birthday tradition, went to remove the ring from his finger to put back. But he stopped himself. He wasn't sure why, exactly, but he just wanted to keep the ring on for a little while longer. He then resumed his routine, though. He stepped outside his cabin, looking up at the sky. It was pitch black, and being so far removed, the sky was a sight to see. Aurora rippled across it this night – Ferron had never seen it on his actual birthday before. A small, hidden smile came to his face – no one was around to see it. His breath formed little clouds in the cold night air, as he stood in silence, looking up with wonder into the sky.

Just as he was about to turn back to head inside, he sees something else – a shooting star. Ferron makes the same wish he always does.

"I… Wish Terre was still alive…"

He reached for the ring on his hand, bringing it to his lips as he gave it a small kiss… He let out a short, choked sob, still emotional from the diary he'd just read. As he watched the shooting star fall, Ferron thought it looked… Different. It glimmered a little as he made his wish, and got a bit brighter. He shook his head – all those wish-upon-a-star stories were just fairytales. He was just seeing things. He must be more tired than he thought. He then turned and went inside, turning down the lights before heading off to bed.

He woke the next morning rather late, heading down into the kitchen to make himself a coffee. He never took off the ring the night before, he realized. He shrugged his shoulders when he realized. He'd take it off in a while. He sat down in his living room and closed his eyes, sipping from his mug.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking at his door.

"Arceus dammit, I just woke up… What idiot would come way out here this time of year…?"

He stood up from his chair, mug in hand, making his way to the door. He threw it open, blinking at the morning sun.

"Yes? What the hell do y-…"

He stopped. A… Torterra? Way out here? Why was there… His eyes darted to the Torterra's hand. On it, there was a ring – exactly like his. A golden band with a stone that glimmered from blue to green.

The mug in his hand fell with a crash to the floor, coffee spilling out onto the wood floor, as tears filled his eyes.

"…T- Terre… It…"

He couldn't finish his thought. The Torterra started crying, running into the cabin to wrap his arms around the dumbfounded Ferron, his face nuzzling into the Empoleon's shoulder as he sobbed out in tears.

"Ferron! I… It's really you! I can't believe it!"

"But… But how?! I… I saw it happen… I saw you die!"

Was this a dream? A trick? An illusion? It had to be…

"I know I did, Ferry. I… I still remember everything that happened. I even remember the afterlife… It was really empty. I spent all my time watching over you… That was all that I cared to do…"

"…T- Terre… But…"

The Empoleon was silenced with a kiss. Ferron gladly accepted it, his lips pressing tightly to Terre's… It had been twenty years since he had kissed someone, and it felt so… Wonderful that it was Terre again. His arms went to wrap around the Torterra, squeezing him tight to his body. They kissed for a full minute before Terre pulled back, happy tears still in his eyes.

"This is really happening, Ferron. I promise."

"But how? I…"

"The star last night. Remember?"

"The shooting star? What about it? I wish on those all the time for you to come back and nothing has ever-"

"Ferron, I know you do… As I said, I've been watching over you this whole time. But last night… That wasn't just a shooting star. It was Jirachi himself."

Ferron's eyes widened. "J- Jirachi isn't just some kind of myth?"

Terre shook his head, letting out a small chuckle. "Nope. In fact, I'm the one who sent him… In the afterlife, you get to meet all the legendaries and stuff, if you try hard enough. I couldn't bear watching you toil anymore, and I was sick of spending my eternity by myself…"

Ferron squinted. "If… You sent him, why did you wait so long…?"

Terre let out a sigh. "I would've sooner, I promise. But Jirachi was in his deep slumber until the day before your birthday. And, knowing you stargazed on your birthday, I knew that if I sent him then, you'd have to see him!"

Ferron let out a small cry, squeezing Terre tightly in delight.

"Thank you! Thank you so much… I… I never thought that I'd see you smile again…"

"Well… I know something that will really cheer you up…"

"What? What is it?"

"Well… You did propose to me twenty years ago… And I did say yes. Wouldn't you say our marriage ceremony is long past due? Why not do it… Today? We both don't know anyone to invite, right?"

Ferron smiled from ear to ear, quickly nodding his head as he jumped up, his hand holding Terre's.

"Absolutely! I'd love to, Terre. Please… All my dreams are finally coming true…"

And so, the two quickly got all dressed up and made their way down to Snowpoint City. They arrived in the evening, just in time to be able to purchase suits from the local store. They weren't tailored but they fit well enough. Ferron wore a bright white button-up shirt, with a deep, dark navy vest and slacks over top. On his neck was a bowtie of the same color. His tailcoats billowed behind him in the evening breeze, as he waited outside for Terre. His eyes lit up when he saw him – Terre was wearing a black shirt and a deep brown suit… It was the exact color of his eyes.

"Terre…"

"I know, I look stunning, don't I? As do you, Ferry. Now, come on, if we don't hurry the wedding pavilion is gonna close for the night."

They took each other's hands and begin to race through town. They were laughing happily as they made their way to the pavilion, arriving just before they closed up. They had to beg with the wedding minister to marry them on such short notice, but he agreed. A short trip to the courthouse later, and the two had their wedding certificate.

The musicians had already packed up and went home for the night. The two walked down the aisle together, hand in hand, to the sounds of the night. They reach the altar, turning to face each other.

"Do you, Ferron, take Terre to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Do you Terre, take—"

"Yes, yes, I do…"

The minister was taken aback by the interruption, but it was late and he wanted to go home. Whatever.

"You may now kiss the groom!"

Ferron and Terre happily embraced, their lips interlocking together as they hugged each other tightly, their hands resting on each other's backs. The wedding may have been spontaneous, it may have been imperfect… But for Ferron and Terre, that was all they needed.

After twenty years, they finally had their happily ever after. 


End file.
